As regular as clockwork, the trio of servicemen known under the imaginative guise of
the Soldiers return just in time for the lucrative Christmas market with another collection of MOR favorites designed to melt the hearts of housewives and grandmothers everywhere. But while their previous day-job duties are nothing short of awe-inspiring (all three have served in either Afghanistan, Iraq, or the Gulf War), their vocal talents leave a lot to be desired. Sure, they can sing in tune, and their try-hard three-part harmonies probably go down a storm at various military shindigs, but their over-earnest Americanized tones, surely recorded with fists clenched in the air, are more suited to the local karaoke bar than the pop charts. Indeed, considering this is now their third studio album, they show little sign of progression from 2009's surprise hit
Coming Home, belting their way through
Ronan Keating staples "Father and Son" and "If Tomorrow Never Comes," '80s soft rock ballads "Right Here Waiting" and "Through the Barricades," and ubiquitous X Factor standards "Make You Feel My Love" and "Dance with My Father" with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, while regular producer
Nick Patrick (
Katherine Jenkins,
Russell Watson) doesn't exactly cover himself in glory either with his flat, wedding band-style arrangements, particularly on a truly awful cover of
the Rembrandts' Friends theme tune, "I'll Be There for You." On the plus side, the material is less obvious than its predecessors, with lesser-known songs from
Crowded House ("Better Be Home Soon") and
Taylor Hicks ("Do I Make You Proud") interspersed with the more familiar classics, while it's clear that their hearts are in the right place, as evident on the lead single, "I've Gotta Get a Message to You," a reworking of
the Bee Gees' hit, featuring
Robin Gibb himself, whose proceeds go toward the official 2011 Poppy Appeal. But despite their good intentions,
Message to You still feels like a rather cynical exercise in pulling at the heartstrings, and while it will probably still be near the top of the list when it comes to lazy Christmas presents, it's unlikely to be played too often once the festivities are over.